Kabaka was born in Kyambogo, Uganda in 1939. By the time he was twelve, his family had moved to Nairobi. In 1954, Daudi recorded his first composition, “Nie Kabaka Naimba”, for the CMS label (Capitol Music Stores). In 1959, he began working with Equator Sound Studio and soon became a salaried member of the house band – The Equator Sound Boys (A.K.A. The Equator Sound Band, The Jambo Boys).

Through out the 1960s, Kabaka recorded a number of hits for Equator Sound, including “African Twist”, “Harambee Harambee” and “Helule Helule”. In 1967, his song “Helule Helule” was covered by The Tremeloes and it became a hit in United Kingdom – reaching number 14 on the charts. But owner / producer Charles Worrod had registered himself as the composer / arranger of the songs released by his label. This eventually led to a falling out with most of musicians on the label over royalty payments – including Kabaka who by that time had registered with the PRS (Performing Right Society) in London.

Kabaka resigned from Equator Sound in 1972, and with some of his old Equator colleagues launched their own production company – African Eagles Recording, Ltd. The label copied the Equator format of having a house band that sometimes recorded under its own name – African Eagles Lupopo – and sometimes served as a backing group for other musicians and singers. The studio band originally included Gabriel Omolo, Sylvester Odhiambo as well as the Zambian émigrés Nashil Pichen and Peter ‘Tsotsi’ Juma.

You can find two songs by The Eagles Lupopo 77 on two different compilations: “Ajali Ya Mombasa” on AI Records “The Essential East African Collection Vol 1” and “Dina na Jim” on Next Music’s “Essential East African Hits Volume 2”.

Of all of the countries on the Africancontinent, I have probably seen more records from Kenya than anywhere else. And that goes for the number of labels as well, especially considering that in many countries one label held a monopoly over all recordings.

Although CBS, HMV, Pathé, Philips and Polydor did release a few singles, the majority of Kenyan recordings were issued on countless small labels that must have only produced one or two releases each. According to the handy KenTanza Vinyllabel index, there were over 450 labels that released singles in Kenya and neighboring Tanzania. What? Was there a record label on every corner in Nairobi and Dodoma? It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

I guess that they may have been from Angola, due to the song’s title. But if that was the case, the record would have been pressed either in that country or Portugal. Similarly, if they had been from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or the Republic of the Congo, the record would have been pressed in France. So that leaves the Central African Republic… But then why would the song have Angola in the title?

I could find no information what so ever on either the Rift Valley Brothers or the their label Sawa Sawa Sound. But, as you can see by the label’s address, they were most likely from Nairobi, Kenya. Also the language listed on the single is Kĩkũyũ, which is a language native to that region.

The Kĩkũyũ are Kenya’s most populous ethnic group. ‘Kikuyu’ is the anglicised form of the proper name and pronunciation of Gĩkũyũ although they refer to themselves as the Agĩkũyũ people. There are about 5,347,000 Kikuyu people in Kenya, equal to about 22% of Kenya’s total population. They cultivate the fertile central highlands and are also the most economically active ethnic group in Kenya.

Although uncertain, ethnologists believe the Kikuyu came to Kenya from West Africa together with the other Bantu groups. On reaching present Tanzania, they moved east past Mount Kilimanjaro and into Kenya, finally settling around Mount Kenya, while the rest of the group continued migrating to Southern Africa . They were originally hunter-gatherers but unlike the Nilotic tribes who were pastoralists, they began farming the very fertile volcanic land around Mt. Kenya and the Kenyan highlands.

Since the initial posting, I have found that the Rift Valley Brothers recorded two more singles, one on Kalamindi label and the other on the Nguirubi lable. They also recorded as the Rift Valley Stars for the Sibour label.

Catalog number STD 7-06 on Sawa Sawa Sound of Nairobi, Kenya. No other information available.